Mike's Mets: January 2009 Archives

It's Survival in the Citi

More congressional grandstanding over the naming rights contract: Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Ted Poe sent a letter to new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday, urging the government to demand that the company drop its $400 million, 20-year agreement for naming rights to the New York Mets' ballpark. The stadium...

Continue reading "It's Survival in the Citi" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 4

The 2003 Mets began the season with the second-largest payroll in baseball, $117 million. While this figure was significantly less than the $152 million the Yankees spent, it was also $11 million more than the third place Braves. The 2003 Mets won 66 games. A housecleaning ensued, rightfully, as the...

Continue reading "Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 4" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 3

Before I get into this, a reader named Cliff pointed me to a couple of User Journals he contributed to the MetsGeek.com web site: Dead Dollars and Dollars and Sense on the subject of payroll. Check them out. The New York Mets franchise was at a crossroad in the off-season...

Continue reading "Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 3" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Important Note on Comments

Like most other blogs, this site gets bombarded with thousands of SPAM comments every day. This spamming is done by automatic programs and often using compromised computers, so it's really hard to stop. If I had to go through all the comments manually and get rid of all the spam...

Continue reading "Important Note on Comments" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:40 PM | Permalink

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 2

Read Part 1 Despite signing the checks of a payroll that has increased substantially over the past four seasons, Mets owner Fred Wilpon is being accused of being a cheapskate again. I have my problems with the Wilpons. I think they're often guilty of thinking smaller than their team's market....

Continue reading "Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 2" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Joe Janish Interview, Part 2

Read Part 1 of this interview Could you tell us a little more about your year catching Jim Bouton? See, if I was REALLY inspired by Bouton, I'd have written a book about that summer by now. Maybe some day I will. The league was, at the time, one of...

Continue reading "Joe Janish Interview, Part 2" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem

I'm going to start this off with a brief confession, so please indulge me. When I started this blog in 2005, I was just starting to deal with a serious bout of Lyme disease. Although I was in pretty bad shape for a year or so, I also had a...

Continue reading "Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Joe Janish Interview, Part 1

Editors Note: While there are now untold thousands of Mets bloggers (okay, I exaggerate slightly), I am fairly confident that there is only one who has both played and coached at a high level and spent a season catching Jim Bouton of Ball Four fame. My hope with the series...

Continue reading "Joe Janish Interview, Part 1" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Freddy Garcia Signing

I'm in the process of writing a longer piece with some thoughts on the Mets' off-season moves. I hope to have that up by tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some quick thoughts on landing Garcia. Assuming that the Mets sign Oliver Perez, which seems to be in the works,...

Continue reading "The Freddy Garcia Signing" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Debut of Mike's Mets Interviews

After about three and a half years of doing this blog, I thought that I needed to start doing some different things to keep the blog (and its main writer) fresh. Interviews are something I've considered doing in the past, but I've shied away from them for a couple of...

Continue reading "The Debut of Mike's Mets Interviews" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Cap Thoughts

I'm exhausted tonight after a punishing day of work, so I'm not going to try to be too profound here. With all of the talk lately about a salary cap in baseball, I thought this article on SI.com Unconventional Wisdom: Busting the myth of the salary cap was right on...

Continue reading "Cap Thoughts" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Crowded Outfield

Sorry that the promised daily posts aren't happening yet, but there's only so many ways to say that nothing much is happening. The Mets appear to be content to wait out the market for a starting pitcher right up to training camp. There's a lot of speculation now that the...

Continue reading "Crowded Outfield" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Pitch Counts

When I linked to the Rick Peterson article on FullCountPitch.com a couple of days ago, I found it interesting that what sparked the most comments and debates was Peterson's belief in and defense of pitch counts. Pitch counts have seemed to be one of baseball's hot-button issues of the past...

Continue reading "Pitch Counts" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 10 - The Future

Editor's Note: This is the last in a series of ten new articles Barry has written on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Most Mets' fans were pretty sure what the Mets' plans would be for filling the second base hole in 2009 and beyond. They'd dump Luis...

Continue reading "A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 10 - The Future" »

By Barry Duchan, posted at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wisdom from Professor Rick

I always liked Rick Peterson. It probably was time for him to go this year, but I thought he did a real nice job in his time here, particularly with some marginal pitchers and guys like Roberto Hernandez. Apparently Professor Rick will sharing some of his philosophies on pitching with...

Continue reading "Wisdom from Professor Rick" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ah, Those Whacky Nutritional Supplements

Do you remember that "innocent" nutritional supplement that caused Phillies reliever J. C. Romero to spend the first 50 games of the season watching? From BP Unfiltered: Barely more than a week after Major League Baseball suspended Phillies reliever J.C. Romero for 50 games for using a banned substance, the...

Continue reading "Ah, Those Whacky Nutritional Supplements" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Mets Sign Cora

The Mets reached a deal with Alex Cora to slot behind Johan Santana in the starting rotation. He'll also be redesigning the infamous Citi Field patch which has become an object of ridicule on the internet, to the shame of Mets fans everywhere. In an exclusive interview with Mike's Mets...

Continue reading "Mets Sign Cora" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

(No) Friends in Lowe Places

Before I get into this, I wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for all the great comments over the past few days. It's been fun for me to read them -- even when you don't agree with me. Thanks, guys. The news that Derek Lowe has signed...

Continue reading "(No) Friends in Lowe Places" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Odds and Ends

Sorry for not getting a post up for Sunday. The idea is still to try to post every day, but I expect I'll miss a few here and there. I don't think I have a full post in me on any one matter, but here are a few scattered thoughts...

Continue reading "Odds and Ends" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 9 - 2006 - 2008

Editor's Note: This is the ninth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. When the Mets signed veteran Jose Valentin in December of 2005, no one paid much attention to it. He was coming off a perfectly awful...

Continue reading "A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 9 - 2006 - 2008" »

By Barry Duchan, posted at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The End of the Pedro Era

With multiple sources confirming that the Mets and pitcher Tim Redding have agreed to a one-year deal, it would seem that there is no room left at the inn for Pedro Martinez -- assuming the Mets will sign Derek Lowe or Ollie Perez to be their fourth starter. I know...

Continue reading "The End of the Pedro Era" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

What If Lowe Goes Elsewhere?

The whole Derek Lowe saga is taking on some of the aspects of the Santana pursuit from last year. Everything you read on the subject seems to contradict what you have just previously read. You can't help but ask yourself at this point what might happen if Lowe signs somewhere...

Continue reading "What If Lowe Goes Elsewhere?" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

An Innocent Man?

This is going to be somewhat of a quickie tonight as I've had a pretty rough day. Perhaps you have been following the drama surrounding Phillies reliever J.C. Romero's 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. There have been several articles written from Romero's point of view, including...

Continue reading "An Innocent Man?" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

All Quiet on the Free Agent Front

Here's something that I'm sure a few of you out there can identify with -- a project that takes on a life of its own. Back in December Lisa and I decided to upgrade our home entertainment experience. After some research and some shopping around I picked up a big...

Continue reading "All Quiet on the Free Agent Front" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Baseball 24/7/365

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. Now that I am a man, many of my friends would say, not much has changed. One thing I knew, though, way back in 1971, was that major league baseball...

Continue reading "Baseball 24/7/365" »

By NostraDennis, posted at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Restraint Runs Rampant (and why not?)

The Mets have reinvented the bullpen and have made a reasonable overture to Derek Lowe, while basically standing pat on their everyday players. In light of the painfully slow to develop free agent market, it seems to this observer that Scott Boras somewhat dictates how things evolve for a number...

Continue reading "Restraint Runs Rampant (and why not?)" »

By Dave Mills, posted at 4:14 PM | Permalink

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 8 - 2004 - 2005

Editor's Note: This is the eighth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. After disposing of Roberto Alomar, the Mets went into the 2003 off-season with Danny Garcia as the likely successor at second base. Jose Reyes looked...

Continue reading "A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 8 - 2004 - 2005" »

By Barry Duchan, posted at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Larry Ages like a Fine Whine

I saw the following quote from Chipper Jones today and had to laugh: Chipper on the Mets acquiring relievers Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz: The rich get richer. It's becoming more and more apparent that the bigger markets are crushing the smaller markets with these signings. From a Mets standpoint,...

Continue reading "Larry Ages like a Fine Whine" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Time to Get a Lowe Deal Done

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's hope this is our year, Mets fans. With the bullpen picture much clearer with Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz holding down the back end, it seems like we're within days of settling the rotation questions. Apparently Derek Lowe has (not surprisingly) turned down the Mets...

Continue reading "Time to Get a Lowe Deal Done" »

By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:58 AM | Permalink

Index of Archived Posts: 2009

The following list includes all posts for the current year, and will be updated periodically. January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2009 Archived Authors List by Mike's Mets, 1-1-2009 Time to...

Continue reading "Index of Archived Posts: 2009" »

By Mike's Mets, posted at 2:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Archived Authors List

The following authors have writtten for this site in the past, but are not currently contributing C. J. Cross Jack Dickey Shari Forst Fred Pirelli John Strubel Steve Vogel Alan Vogel Adam Warner Return to Home Page...

Continue reading "Archived Authors List" »

By Mike's Mets, posted at 12:42 AM | Permalink

Mike's Mets

New York Mets discussion, news and historical perspective -- now getting by with a little help from my friends.

January 30, 2009

It's Survival in the Citi

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 4

January 29, 2009

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 3

January 28, 2009

Important Note on Comments

January 27, 2009

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem, Part 2

Joe Janish Interview, Part 2

January 26, 2009

Failure to Spend Is Not the Problem

Joe Janish Interview, Part 1

January 25, 2009

The Freddy Garcia Signing

January 24, 2009

The Debut of Mike's Mets Interviews

January 22, 2009

Cap Thoughts

January 21, 2009

Crowded Outfield

January 19, 2009

Pitch Counts

January 17, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 10 - The Future

Wisdom from Professor Rick

January 15, 2009

Ah, Those Whacky Nutritional Supplements

January 14, 2009

Mets Sign Cora

January 13, 2009

(No) Friends in Lowe Places

January 12, 2009

Odds and Ends

January 10, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 9 - 2006 - 2008

January 9, 2009

The End of the Pedro Era

January 8, 2009

What If Lowe Goes Elsewhere?

January 7, 2009

An Innocent Man?

January 6, 2009

All Quiet on the Free Agent Front

January 5, 2009

Baseball 24/7/365

January 4, 2009

Restraint Runs Rampant (and why not?)

January 3, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 8 - 2004 - 2005

January 2, 2009

Larry Ages like a Fine Whine

January 1, 2009

Time to Get a Lowe Deal Done

Index of Archived Posts: 2009

Archived Authors List

Search

About Mike's Mets

Recent Posts

The Pitchers -- 2011 Stats

Our Writers

Mike's Favorite Posts

Latest Mets News

Mets Links

Great Mets Blogs

Other Links

Archives

Categories